


Games Like These

by Spunkie



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Childhood Friendship, Childhood Memories, F/M, If Cell Won The Games, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader Has An Adorable Dragon Friend, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-08 06:43:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15237666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spunkie/pseuds/Spunkie
Summary: A little less than a year ago, Gero’s perfect creation rid earth of Goku and his friends. This perfect creation, Cell, had also managed to wipe out near all sentient life on the planet; effectively making it a playground for him to do whatever he pleases. Or so Cell had assumed.You’re the last Human, accompanied by a dying Dragon. She’s not magical like the one from the fabled Dragon Balls, but she’s your closest friend. And you’ll do anything to save her life - including putting yours at the mercy of Cell.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I think I have a problem with my fascination with beaches and this asshat of a bugmaN aaAAAA
> 
> It’s nOt mY fAULT Akira made the villains of DBZ sO fUcKinG hOt!!!
> 
> But all jokes aside, I’ll try to update this as much as I can, I’ve got stitches on my hand from a little mirror “incident” and on top of that I’ve got large pointed acrylics on lol
> 
> Ironically, this took a lot of courage for me to actually sit down and write this because I’m so paranoid about people I know recognizing me and my little (((F A N T A S I E S))) pertaining to Cell and being like “EW SPUNKIE LIKES CELL WHAT THE HELL”
> 
> I’m gonna shut up now

** Chapter One: Ode To Sleep **

 

You were sprinting as fast as your legs could carry you across the destitute city that once buzzed with life. It was only a matter of time before you were caught if you continued doing this. However, the thought of the payoff for your efforts was much less taxing on your already frantic state of mind.

A loud bang that came from not too far off from behind you sounded off, almost sending you ass over tea kettle onto the pavement below your screaming feet. You didn’t dare stop running; instead, you took a sharp turn down an alleyway and stopped to catch your breath by a large metal door. You tried to open it, but the handle was jammed.

Of course, you thought to yourself, bringing a heavy fist against one of the signs that was hanging off of it in a small fit of rage. You were so close to getting what you came into the city for, only to be stopped by a fucking door. A grapefruit sized rock caught your eye. Picking it up, you got a proper hold of it before smashing one of the door’s hinges. It sent an unpleasant ring up your arm and through your shoulder, but you were going to get into that building if it was the last thing you did.

Another bang. Further off in the distance this time. You dropped the rock and started to shoulder-slam the door. Had you have not been as fit as you were, your Clavicle or Scapula for sure would have been shattered. Butting into the door with all your might one last time, it finally fell to the floor with a loud metallic thud. You stumbled forward a bit, and fumbled at your belt for a torch. Clicking it on, you walked further into the cold interior of the building.

The light shone on several shelves, each holding various types of military equipment. You walked over to a shelf that held an assortment of MREs and haphazardly threw as much as you could into the pouch you had slung over your neck. The pouch stuffing didn’t relent until it looked like it was going to burst at the seams. Knowing that you had at best a month’s supply of food resting on your hip, you began your search for car batteries and jumper cables. The timer was ticking and you didn’t have much time until something bad would happen. So, collecting your bag and the torch, you flicked it off and cautiously stepped outside.

The sun shone harshly overhead and created distortions above the cracked asphalt. You stopped momentarily to listen to your surroundings to make sure that the coast was clear. As long as you couldn’t see, hear, or sense danger, then it was alright to run.

And run you did through the city, past the outskirts, and out on the coast just a mile away where you were going to meet up with Oberon. The dock where the two of you were stationed was steadily coming into view, and yet another loud crash made you seize up in fear. You turned around knowing full well that your inevitable death was creeping closer. Your mind was screaming at you to get the hell to safety, but your body had other plans. You stayed put where you were, desperately trying to see what was going on in the city where you just were not ten minutes ago.

Another bang. This time, a blinding flash of light. It stung your eyes and sent you reeling back in pain. You had to get to Oberon.

By time you reached the dock, your heart felt like it was going to implode from all of the emotional and physical strain your body was putting it through. Oberon lay dormant, as the only sign of life that was still in her showed in her infrequent muscle spasms. Her condition was still critical, and if you didn’t supply her failing system with electricity, she more than likely won’t be able to see the end of the week.

You collapsed next to her in the small pit the two of you dug under the dock, and rest your eyes for a bit, promising yourself that you wouldn’t fall asleep. Black began to creep around the edges of your vision as your head grew more and more heavy; and sleep was becoming harder to fight off.

Crossing your arms over your chest as you tilted your head back onto Oberon’s bicep, you gave in and told yourself that you were only going to snooze until the sun dipped below the horizon.

And off to sleep you went.

\+ + +

The small dragon stood before you, looking down on you from the rocky outcrop it was perched on.

It called out your name. You flinched, and made eye contact with it, dazed and confused. The child-like voice rung out once more.

“Who are you?” You asked. You hadn’t met this thing not once in your life, yet it still knew your name.

It giggled.

“I want to be your friend!” The creature’s tail began to waggle back and forth, bouncing its frame with it.

You were still confused as to why you were being confronted by this creature, let alone being asked to be its friend. But, you just went with it.

“Alright, what’s your name?”

“My name Oberon!” The dragonet stated matter of factly, smiling with all of her shiny, black teeth. You giggled at the way she said it, and told her that it was nice to meet her. She jumped down from the rock she was standing on, landing clumsily beside you. Oberon stood at about waist height compared to you, and was about as long as a small car. The horns on her head were still developing, and her glassy white eyes stared up at you with the manner of an obedient pet dog.

“My mom has some apple juice for me when I get back home,” You began to walk around Oberon to thoroughly examine every scale on her muscular body. “...And I can share it with you if you like.” Oberon nodded vigorously, and you proceeded to hike back to your house with her following behind.

Time seemed to speed up and slow down as different scenes and memories came into view.

A time when you tried to teach Oberon about botany, which resulted in her eating all the flowers in your garden, choking, and vomiting up a technicolor mess all over your mother’s antique rug.

Another time when you two were play fighting and she blew up your neighbor’s cars because she stubbed one of her toes.

A distant memory from when you two were much older; one where you discovered how she maintains her life force - a memory that painfully resurfaces every seven years or so.

Your entire life and all the years you had spent by Oberon’s side replayed like a movie in your dream; the last memory that played coincidentally being your first encounter with the monster that held the world’s fate on his fingertip.

\+ + +

The bright, misty seabreeze helped lull you out of your dream. You laid still in the small sand pit for a minute, ruminating over last night’s dream. It had been an entire childhood since you first met her while you were playing in the woods, and had you not, you surely would not be lying here at this point in time.

And neither would Oberon.

It was a year ago when the self proclaimed “Perfect being” by the name of Cell had challenged Earth’s greatest warriors to a martial arts tournament on ZTV Live. Ever since then, crime rates had surged dramatically. The entire planet quickly fell into shambles as Cell was killing off the Z-Fighters one by one; it was quite literally every man for himself after his announcement, a dog-eat-dog world.

Thanks to Oberon, you were temporarily brought away from the purge of sorts. However, thanks to a horrible miscalculation in your judgment, you had reduced her to the current state of decay she was in. The guilt bore down on you like a ton of bricks.

You had to find the jumper cables and the car batteries before it’s too late.

That meant going back into the city. Where death himself might be lurking, to shoot you, a poor fool who just so happened to be caught in the crossfire, down. But for Oberon, you’d gladly lay down your life if it meant that it would prolong hers.

Without a second thought, you got up, shaking the remnants of last night’s lethargy off of you. Looking at Oberon as you slung an empty bag around your shoulder helped you gain solace; a hard to come by yet powerful ally in a time like this.

You began your journey back into his domain.

“I’ll be back, and this time, you’ll be awake to see me.”


	2. All in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shots, anyone?

**_Chapter two: All In_ **

 

The city looked different this time around. Stopping to catch your breath in an alleyway, you scanned the area outside of it for cars that were still intact. 

 

_ Bingo.  _

 

A slightly beaten up yet nonetheless functional looking Humvee was poking out of a pile of rubble across your alley. The military patrol vehicle was bound to have some sort of electrical workings that you could MacGyver into a jumpstart for Oberon. 

 

It took a brief moment to pool up courage to come out of hiding and into a domain where you risked being spotted. 

 

All it took was a quick set of nimble leaps and a smashed window before you were able to temporarily seek shelter again. You crawled upwards to the steering wheel and jammed a gloved hand under it, yanking out as much wires as you could. The bundle of wires was shoved into your messenger bag as you fumbled around in the glove box for anything that might be of use. A half used tube of Bacitracin and a flask of whiskey were happily pocketed away. 

 

When Oberon wakes up, it’s drinks on you. You snickered to yourself as you remembered your first time getting drunk. A shared memory with Oberon, and how she ‘convinced’ you that blue fire was cold to the touch in her drunken stupor. In yours too, you had believed her. 

 

Looking at the faded burn scar on your right palm and smiling once more, you had carefully climbed out of the Humvee and circled to the front of it. The rubble sitting atop the hood had crushed it inwards, most likely smashing the battery terminals along with the key engine parts that you needed. 

 

That wasn’t the least of your newfound problems, however. The sun was dipping below the horizon fast, and an important decision had to be made.

 

Stay within the city over the night and obtain the remaining necessary materials in one fell swoop and risk being hunted down blind?

 

Or,

 

Call it a night and come back when the sun rises, where the chances of reviving Oberon become even slimmer; and the probability of Cell lurking in the city increase?

 

One fleeting thought secured your decision. 

 

_ The city was already decimated. He’d have no business with it. _

 

A brilliant confirmation that almost escaped your manic mind. Yes. He  _ indeed  _ had his fun with the city, and there should be no logical reason at all for him to rear his mug ‘round again. 

 

But if then— 

 

Why were you sprinting back and forth? Why were you cowering in the backwaters of the city when Cell had no use for it? What was all this fuss for? 

 

You raised a challenging stare to the sky, and scoffed. 

 

“All this bullshit for nothing, hey?”

 

Nobody answered. 

 

“Now, if you don’t mind me,” you pulled up your tights and snapped the band around your waist in a mock-authoritative manner. “I’m gonna get my little friend and we’re going to get the hell out of here!”

 

You weren’t sure on how your whole ‘escape’ was going to pan out, but you and Oberon were an intelligent pair. Spastic at times, but still diligent enough. 

 

For now, it’s go-time. It’s a balls-to-the-walls mad dash to find at least two car batteries. Not before Cell can find you-

 

-But so you can hurry up and get fucked up with Oberon. And maybe try to convince her that Jellyfish ‘hug’ you rather than sting you.

 

                    + + +

 

You had found and dissected at minimum 7 different cars, only to come up with dead or impartial batteries as proof. Dusk’s curtains had descended long ago and weariness had gotten a hold on you. Hunger had also began to gnaw uncomfortably at your stomach, and your only food source was back at the camp. 

 

You furiously smashed another impartial car battery to the cracked pavement before clawing at your hair. There was still one more broken battery inside of the small car’s terminal, and you picked it up, ready to chuck it through a decrepit deli storefront window. 

 

_ Strange. _

 

Something was off. Not just about this one, you realized, but about the others now that you think about it. Why was it…?

 

Cut so cleanly in half…? 

 

Surely no sane person in their right mind would sabotage their own car like this, and it certainly couldn’t be the work of someone’s vindictive ex; the cut was far to pristine for a hurried job. Either whoever did this had a fuck ton of time on their hands, or wasn’t human at all. 

 

Hold up. 

 

Oberon  _ was _ capable of generating laserlike beams of energy- Ki, as she explained it to be- but she refrained from using it because of her lack of control over it. It couldn’t have been her. You knew each of the Z-fighters were capable of doing the same thing, but they were all long dead by now. 

 

Another thing-

 

The site where the batteries were cut was faintly warm, and the plastic coating the edges was barely malleable. Meaning that whatever did this did it not too long ago _. And right under your nose too. _

 

All confidence you had fizzled out immediately. It felt like the breath was sucked out of your lungs and the color drained from your skin. You tried to move, but found yourself locked up in fear. Instead, you tried to listen for something. 

 

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You’d give anything to even hear those loud ass summertime cicadas and crickets that used to drive you nuts when you tried to sleep. Anything except silence. 

 

Because silence, was vulnerability. 

 

Your eyes slowly moved around in their sockets, trying to find any imminent signs of an attacker. Nothing. It was too dark. It felt as if a heavy weight was hung over your head by a thread- due to snap at any moment. 

 

That is what drove you to fly out of the city as fast as you’ve ever ran. Screaming and foaming at the mouth like a wild animal, you tore through the crisscrossed network of collapsed buildings and jettisoned vehicles. The only thing that mattered right now was you getting onto an open area where you could at least stand a chance against whatever might have been chasing you.

 

A beam of moonlight shone overhead. You chased it desperately, and felt the traction between your feet and the floor skyrocket, greatly hindering your movement. You looked down.

 

_ Sand.  _

 

You looked forward.

 

_ The dock. _

 

You turned back and looked upward slightly.

The end of the line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might maybe possibly write two more chapters and have them posted up in a few hours,,, 
> 
> But honestly I’m hung up on taking a FAT nap and developing the story line further. Oh well I’ll just see what happens |:T
> 
>  
> 
> Ps- I hope you guys enjoy dis as much as I do <333


	3. A Shocking Appearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The question is, who exactly wakes up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for falling off of the face of the Earth this month, but I’m back with a new addition. Expect things to get graphic and smutty in the coming chapters, because admit it, that’s what we’re all here for.

**_Chapter 3: A Shocking Appearance_ **

 

You couldn’t believe what you were witnessing. There’s no way—

 

Is that even…?

 

You swallowed hard, and tried to focus your vision on the figure that was hovering in the sky. It didn’t move, and it wasn’t an aircraft of any sort. Your mind quickly became clouded in a state of delirium as it was being overloaded with a million questions at a million miles an hour. 

 

_ What do you do? Call out to it? _

 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” You murmured, sounding a lot more pathetic than you intended to. Your voice echoed out into the night, carried away by the gentle whispers of the seabreeze. 

 

“That’s quite funny. Considering I was about to ask the same of you.” A gruff voice replied before descending. Whoever it was touched down several feet in front of you, hidden in the shadow of a tree- just out of the moon’s reach.

 

You stood as still as a mountain, and tried to remain stone-faced to the best of your ability. Further conversation on your behalf would not be very prudent of you. Your eyes adjusted to the shadows as you tried to gain purchase on any visual cue as to who or what you were talking to. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but you couldn’t place your finger on it. 

 

A soft, magenta glow materialized in your vision. Then, the realization hit you like a swift kick to the gut.  _ It was actually him.  _ But why was he here of all places? Of all the hundreds, if not millions of other cities Cell could be visiting, why did it have to be the one closest to you and Oberon? Cell interrupted the silence, and you flinched, almost falling over.

 

“Care to tell me why and  _ how _ you’re still alive?” He drawled, annoyance heavy in his tone.

 

You didn’t dare respond back, but rather held your frightened gaze on his strange magenta orbs. If he decides to kill you right here and right now, any chance of saving the world will instantly diminish. Something felt off about doing this, however, as if he were looking past your eyes and scanning your brain. You removed your gaze, and trained it on your feet. 

 

A dull, metallic thump sounded off in the air, and you looked up. Before you could react, Cell was up in your face, and had one of his hands in your hair. He lifted you up, and spoke once more.

 

“I asked you something! Now give me an answer, or else you can kiss you  _ and  _ your friend’s miserable lives goodbye!” 

 

“I don’t know!” You choked out as you began to cry. In all honesty you could care less about your physical situation, but the fact that Cell knew about the only trick up your sleeve had broken you. 

 

Cell didn’t speak for a few seconds, examining your sniveling, shaking form. A light bulb then shone above his head.

 

“Well. I suppose if I can’t get  _ you  _ to talk in the conventional way…” Cell shifts all of his weight onto one foot and flashes a hideous grin. “I’ll just have to find a  _ different  _ way.” And with that, he drops you on your ass in the sand. 

 

Before you can make sense of what he’s said, Cell teleported to an unknown location and back. To your bone-chilling, pants-pissing, tooth-chattering absolute horror, he wasn’t alone.

 

                + + +

 

Cell touched down in front of you, holding the same disgusting smirk that he had before he left. However, your eyes trailed off to his shoulder, where- oh gods no. Once again, every last bit of color rushed from your face. The tears now flowed in streams of trepidation for what on Kami’s good green Earth Cell was intending to do with Oberon. 

 

“N-no, not her…” You covered your mouth in order to stop an oncoming sob.

 

Cell didn’t mind your words and slammed Oberon on the sand in front of you. Her jaw made a sickening cracking noise as it opened, and the breath left her body with a pained moan. You crawled forward and reached out, but were stopped short by an unknown force. 

 

“You need to hold your end of the bargain before you even  _ think  _ about making contact with that  _ thing. _ ” 

 

You didn’t know how to respond. What do you even tell him? It was sheer luck and Oberon that held you on throughout his reign of terror, and nothing else. Oberon- wait. That’s it. You’ll just tell Cell that she protected you, and he’ll piss off.

 

“Her.” You pointed softly at Oberon. “Now c-can you please-”

 

Cell looked incredulous, as if the ideation that you and a dragon the mere size of a Tiger could survive his onslaught of world destruction was simply  _ inconceivable.  _

 

“No.” Cell crossed his arms.

 

“Wh-”

 

“I. Said. No.” He then stepped on Oberon’s tail, making her squeak. 

 

“She’s dying!” You blurted, crying once more and standing up to ward Cell off. He stepped back, surprised by your sudden courage. “Leave us the  _ hell  _ alone and let me  _ fucking  _ heal her!” Cell laughed at you, and pushed his boot into Oberon’s tail harder. What you did next was a culmination of the adrenaline and sheer anger at the situation. 

 

You ran at Cell, jumped, and punched the shit eating grin off his face. Of course he wasn’t damaged one bit by the blow, but he was no longer mocking you with that disgusting smile. It was a win in your book. 

 

Cell sighed. 

 

“I don’t need to do this. You’ve forced my hand.” At his hand, a glowing light slowly grew. The air began to heat up uncomfortably, and you backed away from him. This was it. Because of your stupidity, you were going to die. You shouldn’t have even bothered to get so cocky in the city, daring him to attack you. You looked down at Oberon, and-

 

Her eyes were open, and focused directly at you. Her stare was soft. She was waking up from her slumber. Carefully, as if to not notify Cell of her sudden awakening, she drew a long, slow breath. You grinned, and backed up further. 

 

“What are you gawking at?” He barely had time to utter that sentence before Oberon sprung up, and blasted him with a ferocious wave of electricity. It temporarily stunned him, and as if she read your mind, Oberon scooped you up and bounded to the water. 

 

Cell recollected himself and looked around, but the two of you were already thousands of feet off, chasing the moon for the sweet release of freedom. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> No ReGeRtS
> 
>  
> 
> *loudly eating a milky way bar*


End file.
